Review: Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work

Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work by Tom Nelson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The primary thrust of the book is this - full-time ministry work is as important as secular vocational work. Unfortunately, he spent too many pages of text harping on the same point. And at the end of everything, I was not convinced.

Tom Nelson’s writing style does not resonate with me; I struggled to remain interested in the unfolding narrative. While he uses a mix of personal accounts, real-world examples and Scripture, his use of the biblical text is problematically eisegetical (meaning he highlights many passages and isolates the biblical text out of its context to fit what he wants it to say along the lines of the topic he is on, often missing the main theological principle of the passage and instead engaging in a works-righteousness application of "be like Boaz" or "be like Joseph"). Perhaps the only part of the book that was of a better quality would be chapter 9's "Facing challenges at work."

A quick glance at the other helpful Goodreads reviewers' takes would yield the advice to avoid this book if you have read another on this topic. For better reads on the topic of work, look at Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavour or William Taylor’s Revolutionary Work.

View all my reviews

Review: Revolutionary Work: What's the point of the 9 to 5

Revolutionary Work: What's the point of the 9 to 5 by William Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Taylor writes clearly and engages the reader with an easy-to-follow narrative. The book is targeted at every Christian, with the biblical principals while insightful and thought-provoking, easily comprehensible and applicable across denominations and theological camps. This book is highly relatable and illustrated with modern stories, accounts and anecdotes.

Indeed we all fall into either the I-have-to-survive-the-mundane-challenge-of-work or the I-give-my-all-to-work-while-neglecting-everything-else camps. I'd like not to spoil anything, because, at just over 100 pages, you too can read it even in a single sitting!

I finished the book feeling encouraged, challenged and with much to reflect how I can apply the biblical principles into life. I heartily recommend this title and would even consider ordering multiple copies to give away! It has been a long time since I enjoyed the read as much as I did in this small little book! In fact, I am regretful that I had not read it earlier. It also earns the rare award of 6 stars from me, and earns a place on my bookshelf! (As a serial book reviewer, I only keep those I found were most extraordinary while selling the rest)!

View all my reviews